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Durango comes up big on road in 17-6 win over Piedra Vista

Demons shut down Panthers offense while winning for first time this season
Durango quarterback Cully Feeney gains a few yards before being tackled by Piedra Vista defenders in the third quarter on Friday, September 6, 2024 at Hutchison Stadium. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

FARMINGTON – A stifling defensive performance and a couple of early scores vaulted the Durango High School football team to its first win of the 2024 season, going on the road Friday night and beating Piedra Vista 17-6 at Hutchison Stadium.

Senior Gage Voiles had a pair of sacks, while senior Cole Pontine had a big game on both sides of the ball, making a couple key plays on offense while picking off a fourth-quarter pass from Panthers quarterback Felipe Moreno to give the Demons a much-needed win heading into a bye week before opening league play later this month at home against Palisade.

The win couldnt have come at a better time for Durango, just a week removed from a heart-breaking 21-20 loss at home last weekend against Farmington.

“This was big for us, to get this one under our belts and to come out of it relatively healthy and in a good frame of mind,” said Durango head coach Ryan Woolverton. “We had some missed opportunities last week and couldn’t cash in, so to be able to overcome that and play the way we did tonight was really important.”

Durango safety Cole Pontine intercepts a pass intended for Piedra Vista's Brig Keiser in the fourth quarter on Friday, September 6, 2024 at Hutchison Stadium. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

The Demons (1-2) defense gave up only 160 yards in total offense, limiting Piedra Vista running back Brig Keiser to 66 yards on 16 carries. Panthers quarterback Felipe Moreno was under siege for much of the second half, forced to make errant throws while racing out of the pocket when protection broke down.

Junior JJ Vickers had a big night for Durango, forcing a fumble in the second half while senior Bryce Hughes had a sack in the third quarter.

“The defense was stellar all night,” Woolverton. “We were a little tougher tonight. Our defensive line effort was solid and they made plays for us all night.”

San Juan County Prep Football Scoreboard

Durango 16, Piedra Vista 7

Bloomfield 55, Miyamura 0

Kirtland Central 49, Shiprock 0

Newcomb 20, Gallup 12

Bayfield 41, Aztec 7

Los Lunas 37, Farmington 28

The Demons struck quickly, scoring on the third play from scrimmage when junior Sebastian Tripp took an end-around to the near sideline, slipped past a pair of Piedra Vista defenders and scored from 50 yards out.

The Demons added another score after a Panthers three-and-out, thanks to a 44-yard touchdown pass from Cully Feeney to Peyton Dike to give the Demons a 14-0 lead with 9:23 remaining in the first quarter.

Durango defensive end Bryce Hughes sacks Piedra Vista quarterback Felipe Moreno in the backfield during the fourth quarter on Friday, September 6, 2024 at Hutchison Stadium. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

The Panthers struggled cashing in on opportunities in the first quarter when an 11-play drive from their own 20 resulted in a turnover on downs on the Demons 32. In all, the Panthers offense struggled for much of the first half, gaining only 114 yards.

After the two early scores, the Demons offense also struggled to find a rhythm. Feeney completed only two of nine passes in the first half while the offense managed only 109 total yards.

Piedra Vista’s offense came to life in the second quarter, capping a 13-play, 83-yard drive with a 27-yard scoring strike from Moreno to AJ Cockrell that slimmed Durango’s lead to 14-6 with 8:08 left in the half.

The lone score in the second half came off the foot of Dylan Burns, who drilled a 51-yard field goal with 8:08 left in the third quarter and gave Durango a 17-6 lead which proved to be just enough to pick up the victory.

Piedra Vista running back Brig Keiser attempts to evade a tackle by Durango outside linebacker Wyatt Bartel in the fourth quarter on Friday, September 6, 2024 at Hutchison Stadium. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

Burns, who also plays on the Durango High soccer team, scored a pair of goals for the Demons on Tuesday in a 4-2 win on the road over Farmington High, made the most of his pair of trips to Hutchison Stadium this week.

“He was sick last week and missed practice and missed an extra point in the last game, so it was great to get his confidence back and we’ll let him kick those all day long for us,” Woolverton said.

Piedra Vista hurt themselves with penalties throughout much of the game, oftentimes stalling drives and putting the Panthers in long-yardage situations.

“We were trying to make plays with (Keiser) and get to their linebackers, and we missed an assignment here and we just couldn’t sustain anything without shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Piedra Vista head coach Jared Howell.

The loss drops Piedra Vista to 1-2 on the season ahead of a roadtrip to Alamogordo on Friday night to face the 0-3 Tigers.

Durango 17, Piedra Vista 6
TEAM1st2nd3rd4thFINAL
Demons1403017
Panthers06006

Correction: A previous headline of this story had the score wrong. Durango won 17-6, not 16-7.



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